Pirates jump on Rodon, roll past Chicago

Bucs record 4th shutout in 5 games

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The conversation was brief and Francisco Liriano didn’t put up much of a fight.

Staked to a massive lead and three outs shy of just the second shutout of his career, Liriano wouldn’t have minded one more inning of work. Catcher Francisco Cervelli wasn’t so sure. Neither was Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.

“He’s in place with us for three years, he’s in a good spot,” Hurdle said. “I imagine the opportunity to throw a complete game will come again.”

The way Liriano is dealing at the moment, perhaps sooner rather than later. The left-hander allowed two singles in eight dominant innings and the Pirates ran their winning streak to five with an 11-0 romp over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

Liriano (4-5) struck out 12 and walked one as Pittsburgh put together its second straight shutout and fourth in its last five games, dropping the team’s ERA to 2.79, the second-best mark in the majors behind St. Louis.

“Guys have different skill sets, different pitches,” Hurdle said. “More often than not we’re pounding the zone. We’re throwing strikes. We’re changing speeds. We’re moving things around, going to different locations. Their command and pace on the mound has played a big role.”

When sharp, Liriano is one of the better lefties in the game. He has struggled at times with his command, leaving opportunities to go the distance rare. He needed just 100 pitches to get 24 outs against the White Sox, buoyed by a fastball that went where he wanted it to go.

“When I can’t throw my fastball for strikes, then I have to throw too many breaking balls,” Liriano said. “I don’t go that deep into games. Being able to throw my fastball for a strike tonight was a big thing for me.”

So was some healthy room to work as the Pirates erupted for season highs in runs and hits (18). Josh Harrison and Starling Marte both collected four hits for Pittsburgh. Marte, Jung Ho Kang and Francisco Cervelli all drove in two runs apiece as the Pirates posted their most lopsided win of the year.

Chicago rookie Carlos Rodon (2-1) came in having allowed three runs combined in his previous four starts. He gave up five runs in the first and seven in 32/3 innings, the worst start of his career.

“We knew what [Rodon] had done but baseball is different every day so we had to see what he had,” Harrison said. “We were able to work counts and get in hitters counts and capitalize.”

The Pirates have faced left-handed pitchers so infrequently this season they decided to hire former major leaguer Chris Peters over the weekend to toss batting practice from the left side to help them prepare for a stretch in which they will take on lefties in four straight games.